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The Situation Room
Rumsfeld Makes Case That U.S. Military Is Adjusting In Iraq; Growing Number of Negative Ads Close To Election; Four Firefighters Die Battling California Wildfire; Claire McCaskill Interview
Aired October 26, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: And to our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time. Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, Donald Rumsfeld tells reporters to back off when it comes to questions about that time line for Iraq.
But is Iraq's prime minister telling the Bush administration to back off? Is there time line trouble between the allies?
A dozen days to the mid-term elections and the campaigns are getting meaner and nastier. Even the candidates are distancing themselves from some of those really, really nasty commercials.
But do those ads work?
And Michael J. Fox made the hard sell, citing her support for embryonic stem cell research. Now, Missouri Democratic Senate hopeful Claire McCaskill, she's standing by to join us live right here in THE SITUATION ROOM, to discuss the uproar that has followed.
I'm Wolf Blitzer.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
A dozen days before the mid-term elections and the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, clearly on the defensive today over the administration's strategy shift for Iraq, even as Iraq's prime minister seems to be giving bad marks to the idea of so-called benchmarks for progress.
Is there any sign of a turnaround yet for U.S. troops?
CNN's Michael Ware is on the ground in Baghdad.
Let's get to the Pentagon first.
Our correspondent, Barbara Starr, with the latest -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, 96 American troops now have lost their lives this month so far in Iraq and there are questions about where's the change, where's the progress?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STARR (voice-over): Donald Rumsfeld, the skeptic, made clear he isn't so sure Iraq has agreed to a timetable for political and security improvements.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Well, it's a political season and everyone is trying to make a little mischief out of this.
STARR: The Secretary was answering reporters' questions about a statement 48 hours earlier by the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Iraqi leaders must step up to achieve key political and security milestones on which they have agreed.
QUESTION: And have they agreed to establish this process by the end of the year, as I think Ambassador Khalilzad said?
RUMSFELD: I don't know. I don't know. No.
QUESTION: They haven't agreed?
RUMSFELD: Well, they're still in discussions. These things are -- no. It is not something that starts and ends.
STARR: Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki already was downplaying the so-called agreement and Rumsfeld seemed to agree with Maliki.
RUMSFELD: One would have thought they might have announced that if they'd decided all of that.
STARR: He also rejected the notion of penalties if Iraq failed to meet deadlines.
RUMSFELD: You're looking for some sort of a guillotine to come flowing down if some date isn't met. That is not what this is about.
STARR: But one thing it now is about -- increased involvement by U.S. troops in stopping raging sectarian violence. Rumsfeld seemed to struggle with trying to explain why American military forces should stop Shia and Sunni killings.
RUMSFELD: I'm not going to try to characterize and begin at one of the spectrum and go to the other end of the spectrum and say when is it or is it not appropriate for U.S. military personnel to be involved in the conflict.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: You know, Wolf, the Secretary said that essentially the U.S. military mission in Iraq remains to try and help the new government and Iraqi security forces take hold, hang on long enough to stop the violence, which is, of course, now largely sectarian in nature.
So one can only expect, perhaps, to see U.S. troops more involved in that Shia-Sunni conflict -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon.
Thank you.
The U.S. military announced today the deaths, as Barbara reported, of five more American troops in Iraq. As this very bloody month nears an end, is the change in strategy bringing any changes on the ground for American troops?
Joining us now from Baghdad, our correspondent, Michael Ware -- Michael, we heard the defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, today make the case that the U.S. military is, in fact, adjusting, has been adjusting as needed throughout this entire process.
Is this adjustment visible, based on what you've seen?
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, not yet, Wolf.
I think it would be too soon to expect to see tangible differences marking a shift in strategy. I mean, turning this boat around literally is like turning an oil tanker at full steam. It really will take some doing.
So, no, there's nothing playing out here on the ground, although it's clear that there's a mood for change in the air, just as I suspect there is domestically back home in the United States -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Are there enough troops on the ground right now, 140,000, 150,000 troops, realistically, to get the job done?
WARE: Well, this is the thing, Wolf. I mean I think a decision needs to be made by the administration and the American people, by extension.
Does America want to fight this war or not?
Because the commitment it's made so far, as substantive and as painful as it may have been, simply isn't enough. It amounts to a half measure, so to speak. All it's doing is offering opportunity to inflame. It's not a robust enough presence with a robust enough mandate, perhaps, to implant the kind of order and security and stability that America is looking for here -- Wolf.
BLITZER: October has been the deadliest month for the U.S. military in Iraq now in more than a year. The argument against introducing more troops is that you send another 20,000, 30,000, 50,000 troops in, then the insurgents, the terrorists, the al Qaeda operatives, the others, they have a greater tonight capability. In other words, more Americans to kill, and the numbers would even go up higher.
WARE: Well, absolutely. I mean it increases the exposure of U.S. troops simply by volume of numbers, Wolf.
However, I mean even 10,000, 20,000, 50,000, I'm not sure would be enough to make the impact. The point is, perhaps, that people who are -- would be supportive of an influx of troops would say better a short-term pain now to cauterize this wound within President Bush's global war on terror than let it drag on and continue seeing, you know, the enemies of America, as the administration as identified them, becoming stronger and more robust -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Why isn't the Iraqi Army, the Iraqi police force, capable, three-and-a-half years after the downfall of Saddam Hussein, hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the United States, all this training going on?
Why are they simply incapable of doing this at this point?
WARE: Well, Wolf, I mean the fundamental dynamic is back to the building blocks of power here in this country. And those building blocks have not been addressed. So the Army, like all other government institutions, are driven with militias, insurgent interests, competing influence, external and internal. So there was much talk early on in the mission about achieving set numbers for the Iraqi security force, expecting that it trained and equipped 300,000 plus would be able to handle the situation.
Well, we're now within a whisper of achieving that number and the situation remains a disaster.
So until the fundamental issues are addressed, not the Army, the police nor anything else will change -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Michael Ware reporting for us from Baghdad.
Michael, thanks very much.
WARE: Thank you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Any more disturbing information coming in from that fire that's blazing, southern California, only about 15 miles right now from Palm Springs.
Let's bring in Zain Verjee.
She's got some details -- Zane.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, the Associated Press is quoting a U.S. Forest Service spokesman saying that a fourth firefighter has died while battling this trouble blaze near Palm Springs. Three of them, as you know, three firefighters were killed earlier today while fighting this wildfire. It spread about 4,000 acres and forced mandatory evacuations. About 700 people have been evacuated.
It's not clear what's caused this fire, but many homes, many structures in this environment have been destroyed and we're learning now, according to the Associated Press, that a fourth firefighter has died.
BLITZER: And there were as many as 400 people, Zane, I take it, who had been trapped in a recreational vehicle park not far away. I assume they got out somehow.
Is that right?
VERJEE: It's -- yes, that's right. They were able to get out and they were part of the evacuation around that area. It's really been difficult, though, for the firefighters to control the fire because of the winds and the heavy gusts that have been going on. But those people have been evacuated.
BLITZER: All right, Zane, thanks very much.
We're going to get back to you and watch this very disturbing story unfolding now in southern California.
In the meantime, let's get back to the war in Iraq.
Is the Bush administration's strategy shift causing a rift with Iraq's leader? Is there trouble over that so-called time line?
Let's bring in our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, really both leaders have a lot invested in appearing united, but they also have competing interests, as well.
President Bush needs to appear flexible and cooperative at this time. But the Iraqi prime minister, he needs to appear strong and independent.
So was this a case of lost in translation or lost in politics?
You decide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX (voice-over): The Bush administration is slamming media reports that there is any disagreement between the president and Iraq's prime minister. It was a full court press to set the record straight.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Not only was it lost in translation, but it was taken out of context.
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: He ought to just back off, take a look at it, relax, understand that it's complicated.
MALVEAUX: Indeed, it is. Two leaders, two languages, talking to two different audiences. But both invested in singing from the same song sheet.
It began Tuesday in Baghdad, when American officials announced that the U.S. and Iraq had reached an agreement on security and political benchmarks to quell the violence in Iraq.
ZALMAN KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: Iraqi leaders have agreed to a time line or making the hard decisions needed to resolve these issues.
MALVEAUX: But Iraq's prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, gave his own news conference in Arabic. The U.S. media picked up on a comment he made which seemed to contradict the U.S. deal.
NURI AL-MALIKI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I affirm that everyone is aware that this government represents the will of the Iraqi police and their national will, and no one has the right to impose timetables on it.
MALVEAUX: Hours later, President Bush was confronted with Maliki's statement.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He's right. This is a sovereign government.
MALVEAUX: But when papers hit the newsstands with headlines suggesting a split between Mr. Bush and Mr. Maliki, the White House press machine revved into high gear, issuing talking points and sending out its spokesman to dispute the claim.
SNOW: Somebody took a question about whether the U.S. would withdraw and somehow twisted it into something entirely different.
MALVEAUX: Translations by the White House and by CNN show the position of the two leaders closer than initially reported.
But Maliki also criticized the U.S. for raiding Baghdad's Sadr City, which he originally said occurred without his authority. He later pulled back from that accusation, but said the raid was conducted in a heavy-handed way that could undermine his political deal with the influential militia leader, Muqtada al-Sadr.
The White House acknowledged there were problems.
SNOW: Prime Minister Maliki described it as a miscommunication problem and we're going to fix it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MALVEAUX: And, of course, fixing the bad publicity is also a top priority of the Bush administration as we saw today, Wolf. And, of course, Iraq is the number one issue for American voters. President Bush very much invested in convincing the American people that his party, victory in his party will also mean victory in Iraq -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.
Thanks, Suzanne, very much.
Let's go to New York with Jack Cafferty -- Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush is so confident that Republicans will retain control of Congress that he's warning Democrats against dancing in the end zone before they've scored a touchdown. Meanwhile, it's no secret Americans are not happy with the direction this country is headed right now and there's a chance that the Democrats could take control of one or both houses of Congress in the upcoming mid-terms.
There's a new "USA Today"/Gallup Poll that's just out. Eighty- two percent of those surveyed say that if Democrats become the majority party in Congress, it's likely they'll set a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Seventy-four percent say they'll likely increase the minimum wage, something that hasn't been done in more than 10 years. Seventy percent say they would conduct major investigations of the Bush administration. And 63 percent say they would increase federal income taxes.
So here's our question this hour. If the Democrats take control of Congress, why do you think their priorities will be?
E-mail your thoughts to CaffertyFile@CNN.com or go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile.
It'll probably take them two weeks to stop jumping up and down -- Wolf.
BLITZER: They'll be dancing in the end zone if that happens.
CAFFERTY: I know.
BLITZER: But they shouldn't be dancing yet. Still 12 days to go. A lot can happen.
Jack, thanks very much.
We'll get back to you soon.
Up ahead, with the election just twelve days away, some of the closest races are now seeing some of the most controversial commercials. We're going to show you why some call them so offensive and so outrageous they could simply turn off a lot of voters. Others say they work.
Also, predicting the outcome -- some expects see massive Republican losses. Others see them squeaking by to keep control of both houses of Congress. We're going to have details for you on that. Brian Todd is standing by.
Plus, we're going to go live back to southern California, the scene of a deadly wildfire right now 15 miles or so from Palm Springs. It's a developing story we're following. Four firefighters now reported killed in trying to battle this blaze.
Much more coming up.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Twelve days until the mid-term election and many key races are simply too close to call. And with the campaign heating up strongly, we're seeing a growing number of negative ads labeled by many as offensive and simply outrageous.
CNN's Mary Snow standing by.
She's got more on these controversial commercials.
Let's bring in our Brian Todd first, though.
He's taking a closer look at what the experts are now predicting -- Brian.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, when it comes to one party winning control of the U.S. Senate, this mid-term is shaping up to be a nail biter.
But what about the House?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD (voice-over): The magic number for Democrats to win the House? A gain of 15 seats.
But with less than two weeks left, predictions are all over the map.
From political analyst Stuart Rothenberg, who says the Republicans could lose as few as 20 seats and as many as 30, possibly more, because the environment for Republicans now is worse than it was for Democrats in 1994.
The "Cook Political Report" says Republicans could lose at least 20 seats.
But the financial magazine "Barron's" predicts the Republicans will hold onto the majority because their candidates have the money advantage.
And listen to Karl Rove, the man who helped President Bush win two close elections when a reporter with NPR implied Rove was too optimistic.
QUESTION: I'm looking -- I'm looking at all the same polls that you're looking at every day.
KARL ROVE, SENIOR WHITE HOUSE ADVISER: No you're not. No you're not.
QUESTION: No, I'm not?
ROVE: No, you're not.
QUESTION: You know (INAUDIBLE). ROVE: You're not. I'm looking at 68 polls a week. You may be looking at four or five public polls a week that talk about attitudes nationally but that do not impact the outcome of this race...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE).
TODD: The Senate could be tighter. Eight close races -- seven of those seats held by Republicans. The Democrats need six to win the majority. And the knock down, drag out boils down to three.
AMY WALTER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Missouri, Tennessee, Virginia -- this is a firewall for Republicans right now their -- in their ability to keep hold of their majority in the Senate.
For Democrats to win the majority, they need two out of those three seats.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TODD: That, analysts say, is why so much national attention and money, of course, is being spent by both parties on those three states as we head into November -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Brian, thank you very much.
And some of the tightest races are now producing some of the most controversial campaign commercials.
Let's bring in CNN's Mary Snow.
She's joining us now from Hoboken in New Jersey with this part of the story -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the Senate race here in New Jersey has been so fierce, it has gained national headlines. Some are calling this, though, a new low, and it's angered Italian- Americans, who make up the largest ethnic group in this state.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM FREE ENTERPRISE FUND COMMITTEE CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our boy down in Washington, Bob Menendez.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW (voice-over): Call it politics Soprano style.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM FREE ENTERPRISE FUND COMMITTEE CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. We'd better start looking into these fixed contracts. Bada-bing, we're in it, but deep. And worse, this guy Tom Kean, he wants to clean things up. SNOW: A conservative group spent $200,000 to run-these campaign ads mimicking mobsters and targeting Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez has denounced the commercials and called on his Republican challenger, Tom Kean, Jr. to have them pulled.
SEN. ROBERT MENENDEZ (D), NEW JERSEY: An ad that's being run-on his behalf smears Italian-Americans in this state, as it tries to smear me at the same time.
SNOW: Kean says his campaign had nothing to do with the ad.
TOM KEAN (R-NJ), SENATE CANDIDATE: This is one of those independent expenditures, those 527 groups, and it's wrong. I -- I'm outraged by this ad and I said that last week.
SNOW: It's independent political groups, say observers, that go where candidates don't want to tread, in advertisements that are seemingly negative each season.
EVAN TRACEY, TNS MEDIA INTELLIGENCE: These groups can really engage on issues that sometimes the campaigns just have to stay away from because they're too hot to handle.
SNOW: Case in point, this ad in New York's 24th District.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CAMPAIGN AD)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi, sexy. You've reached the live one-on- one fantasy line.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: The National Republican Congressional Committee stands by its $10,000 ad that targets Democrat Michael Arcuri, claiming he billed taxpayers for a call to a phone sex hotline.
Arcuri says the number was on a phone bill because an aide called a sex hotline by mistake that had similar digits to a government office. Arcuri's office says he hasn't ruled out filing a lawsuit over the ad and his Republican challenger, Raymond Meier, has distanced himself from the NRCC and the ad.
With such loud protests over these ads, why are thousands of dollars being spent to make them?
TRACEY: If they didn't work, campaigns wouldn't use them. This is the time that every campaign that's trailing or every campaign that's trying to put an opponent away will generally try and get one ad out there on the air that they think is the silver bullet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: Now, in tracking that controversial ad in Upstate New York, we found that only two stations of several ran it, only briefly. And the big question, Wolf, is will these ads backfire in places like New Jersey, where many voters have already said that they are fed up with negative advertisements during campaigns -- Wolf.
BLITZER: They may backfire, but they're -- everyone should get ready for a lot more of this in these final 12 days, because a lot of those political experts out there think they really work.
Mary, thank you very much.
Mary Snow reporting for us from Hoboken, New Jersey.
Mary Snow and Brian Todd are part of the best political team on television.
And as we head into the crucial mid-term elections, stay up to date with the CNN Political Ticker. The daily news service on CNN.com gives you an inside view of the day's political stories. Check it out, CNN.com/ticker.
Coming up, the most expansive display of presidential power in American history. Our chief national correspondent, John King, shows us how it impacted one man's family.
Plus, we'll take you live to southern California, where we're now getting reports of a fourth firefighter killed in battling an out of control blaze only 15 miles from Palm Springs.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Updating you now on a developing story we've been following.
The Associated Press reporting four firefighters are now confirmed dead in battling that raging wildfire only about 15 miles or so from Palm Springs in southern California.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is joining us now live.
He's in nearby Beaumont with late developments -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a press conference is scheduled to start here in the next 10 or 20 minutes and we expect to get some official confirmation on what the Associated Press is reporting. We can tell you that that firefighter is part of a five man crew that was trying to protect a home in a town just west of Palm Springs.
From what the Forest Service officials have been able to tell us, they were in an engine and the fire, the wind changed suddenly and literally blew the fire directly on top of them and literally burned through the engine, trapping the men inside.
We know that three of those firefighters were killed and we know that two were initially transported to a hospital by a medical helicopter. And right now we are, again, just waiting for the press conference to get official confirmation -- Wolf. BLITZER: We'll stay on top of this story, Chris.
Thank you very much.
Still to come, Michael J. Fox hopes voters will vote for the Democrat in Missouri's Senate race. But his political pleas are igniting controversy. I'll speak with the candidate Fox is endorsing. That's coming up live.
Also, does President Bush have more power than any other American president?
We're going to tell you how Americans answer that question.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Thanks for joining us.
You're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Happening now, we're following a developing story. A California wildfire takes a deadly toll on firefighters. The Associated Press reports four of them were killed by a blaze that's destroyed homes and forced hundreds of people to flee. It's going on right now only about 15 miles or so from Palm Springs.
Also, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld with a message for those calling for a staged withdrawal from Iraq. He says, and I'm quoting now, "Just back off." At the same time, he concedes he's not satisfied with Iraqi efforts to deal with the relentless violence, which he calls enormously challenging.
And President Bush signs a bill authorizing a 700-mile-long fence along parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. But he also says it's not the end of immigration reform. We're standing by for details.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
It's only 12 days until the mid-term elections and both Democrats and Republicans hope to control the Senate after Election Day. Right now there's a fierce showdown in the show-me state. And it could prove critical. In that race, one issue figures very prominently.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL J. FOX, ACTOR: As you might know, I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill who shares my hope with cures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: The ad from the actor Michael J. Fox concerns the Missouri ballot measure over embryonic stem cell research. Republican Senator Jim Talent, he's the incumbent and his Democratic opponent Claire McCaskill have different positions on that ballot initiative. Meanwhile, there's a new "L.A. Times Bloomberg" poll showing Talent 48 percent among likely voters with McCaskill at 45 percent. It has a margin of error that shows this race is neck in neck.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Joining us now to talk about this is Claire McCaskill.
Thanks very much for coming in.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL (D), MISSOURI SENATE CANDIDATE: Thank you for having me.
BLITZER: This Michael J. Fox commercial, it generated an angry reaction from Rush Limbaugh for which he later apologized. Let me play this again to remind our viewers what's going on.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOX: Senator Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope. They say all politics is local but that's not always the case. What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Rush Limbaugh -- we had that response but, unfortunately, it wasn't queued up. He then mimics, shows what Michael J. Fox was doing. He later apologized. He said he wasn't aware that he really had that serious of a problem from the Parkinson's disease.
As you look at this, the reaction from Jim Talent, your opponent, was basically that you know what? He supports stem cell research, but not necessarily the way you do it. He says, "Claire McCaskill's attacks are false. Senator Talent supports medical research, including stem cell research, that doesn't involve cloning or destroying human embryos."
First of all, do you support cloning as part of your stem cell program?
MCCASKILL: No, of course not. The measure the Missourians are going to vote on that I support and that Senator Talent opposes strictly prohibits human cloning and the commercialization of the marketing of women's eggs for purposes of research.
What it does say is that we are not going to criminalize research that can save lives. And I support it. And Senator Talent opposes it. And that's why Mr. Fox has been -- has reached out to our campaign and said that he wanted to help.
BLITZER: He also said you support destroying human embryos.
MCCASKILL: Well human embryos are thrown away every day, Wolf, thousands of them. And if we are throwing them away, and that is not criminal, why wouldn't we use them to save lives, especially under a strict ethical framework that this measure will provide?
And this is not about public money. This is just making sure that the scientists that are working with private endowments in Missouri will never be made criminals such as the legislation that Senator Talent supported in the Senate, he sponsored in the Senate, to, in fact, make certain forms of this research criminal.
BLITZER: The actress Patricia Heaton from "Everyone Loves Raymond," she has got a commercial that is being put out by a group calls Missourians against Human Cloning. It's called the "Clone Me State," this commercial. I want to play a little clip of what she charges.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICIA HEATON, "EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND: Amendment two actually makes it a constitutional right for fertility clinics to pay women for eggs. Low-income women will be seduced by big checks. And extracting donor eggs is an extremely complicated, dangerous and painful procedure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right. Do you want to respond? Because you support amendment two and she says it's going to lead to all of these horrible things.
MCCASKILL: Well, it's just not true. It strictly prohibits that. Right now, women could sell their eggs. They can't if this measure passes. And I think, frankly, what she said is, frankly, insulting to low-income women.
BLITZER: The race is very, very close right now. And as it gets closer and closer, and certainly only 12 days away, some of the ads are getting very nasty. I'm going to play this ad that goes after you. It's put out by the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Claire McCaskill needs help. She's misplaced some of her income in Bermuda. Claire McCaskill and her husband have misplaced their income so they don't have to play taxes, yet she wants to raise yours.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: All right. Do you want to respond to that? Because it suggests that you put money in Bermuda in tax shelters and that you want to go ahead, instead of lowering taxes for people in Missouri, you want to raise their taxes.
MCCASKILL: Well, certainly, this is the same ad company that's making the ads in Tennessee that are so out of bounds, making the ads other places. The Republicans have decided this year since the issues are not on their side to try to make this personal. There's no income that's being sheltered anywhere. Senator Talent knows that.
My husband owns a very small percentage of a re-insurance company that insures 43,000 units a year and has paid $32 million in claims. It has nothing to do -- and our disclosure shows that we are not getting income off of it.
But that's not the point. For them, it's about a personal character attack. We are not doing that. We are just talking about changing Washington, changing the mess in Iraq, changing healthcare. But they are trying to make this race intensely personal. And I think the voters are figuring it out, and I trust Missourians to definitely figure it out.
BLITZER: Do you have a very different stance from Senator Talent when it comes to trying to get the United States out of Iraq?
MCCASKILL: Oh, yes. Senator Talent is a stay the course senator. He's not asked any tough questions, in fact, no questions of Secretary Rumsfeld while on the Armed Services Committee for five different hearings. Missed a lot of those hearings.
He has definitely said that this was a good decision, even knowing what we know now. Well, clearly, we have made serious mistakes of judgment. Our foreign policy has failed in Iraq and we need to begin a contained redeployment, particularly to get back to Afghanistan because of the Taliban resurfacing there.
He is definitely stay the course, 100 percent supportive of Secretary Rumsfeld. I'm more in line with Secretary Powell and John Warner and some of the strong, bipartisan senators who are saying to their party, we need to come together and find a different way out of this mess in Iraq.
BLITZER: Claire McCaskill is the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate. Thanks very much for coming in to THE SITUATION ROOM.
MCCASKILL: Thank you for having me.
BLITZER: We would like to note also that we invited Claire McCaskill's Republican opponent, the Senator Jim Talent, to speak with us today. His campaign so far has declined. But we have an open invitation to Senator Talent if he wants to join us, he's certainly welcome to come in as well.
Still to come, from west Texas to the White House, a look at presidential power during the war on terror. But does the commander in chief have command of the Internet? Does he Google? Jeanne Moos looks into that in our 7:00 p.m. eastern hour of THE SITUATION ROOM. You're going to want to see that. 7:00 p.m. eastern, tonight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Getting some more disturbing information on that fire, only about 15 miles or so from Palm Springs in California. Only moments ago the fire chief, one of the spokesman there made this announcement. Listen to this. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHIEF JOHN HAWKINS, RIVERSIDE COUNTY FIRE DEPT.: This is an arson fire. This is a deliberately-set arson fire. A deliberately- set arson fire that leads to the death of anyone constitutes murder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We are going to continue to watch this. Four firefighters reported dead now in dealing with this blaze. It's continuing in southern California not very far from Palm Springs and the winds remain very gusty right now. We'll get back to that story later. Let's move on though. President Bush has come a long way from his Texas roots to wield power here in Washington and in the White House. But in this anti-terror era, does Mr. Bush wield more power than any other American president?
In our latest CNN poll, only a third of the public thinks he does. Two-thirds have no such concerns. Let's bring in our chief national correspondent John King. He's here in THE SITUATION ROOM with a little preview of his "BROKEN GOVERNMENT" special that airs later tonight -- John.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf that is the question we tried to look at. Especially since 9/11 as the president has exerted remarkable executive powers overseas scooping up terrorism suspects. Here at home with the wireless wiretapping program, the patriot act and other dramatic steps here at home. Many of his critics say he has overstepped laws passed by the Congress. He has ignored the constitution. But remember just after 9/11, Mr. Bush promised he would do whatever it takes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KING (voice-over): He began on a very different course. A governor with a famous name who conveyed more west Texas than Washington. Compassionate conservative was his label of choice. Kinder, gentler his promised world view. The crisp September morning suddenly turned from gorgeous to gruesome. Few whispered words in a Florida school room transformed a presidency and a president.
BUSH: Our grief has turned to anger. And anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.
KING: Islamabad, Pakistan. An edgy place in the weeks after September 11th. Moazzam Begg among the new comers arriving from neighboring Afghanistan after the bombs started falling. He thought he had escaped until a midnight knock at the door introduced him to the most expansive display of presidential power in American history. No search warrant, no arrest warrant, enemy combatant was his designation.
MOAZZAM BEGG, FORMER DETAINEE: Dragged across the floor, thrown onto the ground. Our clothes were ripped off with knives with several soldiers sitting on top of us. We're being kicked, punched, beaten, sworn at, spat at. Dogs were barking around us. We were photographed naked, and then dragged naked and shivering into interrogation rooms where the first questioning began.
KING: A president obsessed with preventing another attack. And convinced people like Begg were the key.
JOHN YOO, FORMER JUSTICE DEPT. OFFICIAL: The first question was really, what do we do with these guys? It wasn't like they came to us and said we want to do something, give us a justification for it. They honestly didn't know what the right thing to do was.
KING: What happens if somebody says I'm torturing these people?
YOO: What people really want to know is how much flexibility does a president have even to make those kinds of choices.
KING: Mr. Bush argues the results justify the extraordinary steps.
BUSH: There would be a legal debate about whether or not to have the authority to do this. I'm absolutely convinced I do.
KING: Moazzam Begg insists the president who jailed him in the name of keeping America safe will some day learn his lesson.
BEGG: Once you take this road and once you go down this road, you are actually making the world a much less safe place because if that's what the Americans are going to do around the world, then they must accept repercussions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KING: We look at the vice president's role in pushing for a stronger executive, we look at some of the extraordinary steps Mr. Bush has taken here at home as well. And Wolf we also look at the question of the paradox of releasing Mr. Begg. Mr. Bush did that under extreme pressure from the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. And if you ask top officials at the CIA, the FBI, the Pentagon, even today they say Moazzam Begg remains in their view, a threat to the United States.
BLITZER: All right, he's still walking the streets though of England a free man at least right now. John thank you very much for that. And remember, John hosts our "America Votes" special report tonight, "BROKEN GOVERNMENT: POWER PLAY" it airs 8:00 p.m. eastern, right here on CNN.
Up ahead, Jack Cafferty wants to know if Democrats take control of Congress, what do you think their priorities will be. And is President Bush on the ball when it comes to going online? Jeanne Moos looks at the Googler in chief in our 7:00 p.m. eastern hour, right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs is right here in THE SITUATION ROOM getting ready for his program. You're in Washington today. Tell us what you have in store at the top of the hour.
LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, James Sensenbrenner, Congressman Sensenbrenner is going to be with us to discuss amongst other things, illegal immigration, border security, the president's signature.
BLITZER: He's the chairman of the judiciary committee.
DOBBS: Absolutely. And the border security signing by President Bush today. We are also going to continue to look at e-voting machines in this country and the risk on that election on November 7th that we're going to encounter across the country because of it in our democracy at risk, a special report. And we are going to take a look at who, at this point, is likely to win these elections.
BLITZER: I've been speaking to a lot of my friends in Maryland. They want to vote absentee because they don't trust some of those electronic machines.
DOBBS: Absolutely. And that mistrust based on our reporting is extremely well placed. We're seeing absentee ballots being used for lots of reasons. And certainly chief among them, distrust of e-voting machines. But it's also part of a strategy by the Republican Party and we're going to be focusing on that as well.
BLITZER: But they want a paper trail. Let's talk a little bit about the 700-mile fence. President signed his legislation authorizing the fence. But as everyone knows here in Washington, it's one thing to authorize, it's another thing to pay for it. There's an appropriations that you need as well. They say they have a down payment and some of the earlier money in the Homeland Security legislation. But A, is the money there to build a fence? And if it is, when will it be built?
DOBBS: Well to the last question first, no one knows right now. Duncan Hunter who introduced the sponsor of this legislation assures me that it will be built. Secondly, that $1.2 billion that you referred to that had been approved in the Homeland Security legislation. That provides enough money to at least begin the process but it's for a wide variety of other projects.
BLITZER: But that 1.2 billion has a lot of other things that it's supposed to pay for.
DOBBS: Absolutely. And we have a Homeland Security Department that has not been exactly what I would call reliable when it comes to border security or enforcing immigration laws. Or for that matter trying to figure out exactly who is in this country, so there are a lot of questions as you suggest.
BLITZER: Lou Dobbs had an excellent town hall meeting in San Antonio, we're glad you stopped by here in Washington. I also want to make sure our viewers note, your best seller, your new book, "The War on Middle Class," will debut at number nine in the "New York Times" best seller's list this week?
DOBBS: That's what I'm told. BLITZER: Congratulations.
DOBBS: Thank you very much Wolf, good to be with you.
BLITZER: Good to have him here in Washington. Just ahead, online reports from U.S. troops on the front lines. And Jack Cafferty wants to know if the Democrats win control of Congress, what do you think their priorities will be? Jack with your email, that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Let's go to New York and Jack Cafferty. Jack?
CAFFERTY: Wolf, the question this hour is this. If the Democrats take control of Congress, what do you think their priorities will be?
Eric in Wisconsin writes, "I would hope their priorities would be to listen to one, foreign nations who oppose our policies. Two, scientists who warn about things like global warming. Three, constituents who demand a better health care system for every U.S. citizen."
Jamie in Ocala, Florida writes, "Here is the order of business for the new Democratic majority in Congress. One, investigate the administration. Two, investigate the administration. Three, investigate the administration."
Eric in New York, "They'll take us out of Iraq, unfortunately allowing the terrorists to take control. This will embolden the radical Muslim fundamentalists. They'll raise taxes putting the economy into a downturn. They'll spend more time investigating the Bush administration rather than focusing on the issues that they talk about during the elections."
Joe in Daytona Beach, Florida, "Impeachment. Nobody has ever deserved it more."
Jim writes, "It would be nice to think that getting rid of the Republicans would make a significant difference, but history says otherwise. No real problems will be fixed, lots of noise will be made and the new lawmakers will soon learn how to get into the revenue stream."
And Michael writes this, "Get even. And I want a front row seat." Wolf?
BLITZER: Jack, thanks very much. Jack Cafferty reporting for us from New York. Up next, dispatches from the front lines. U.S. troops write home from Iraq. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a look at hot shots coming in from our friends at the "Associated Press", Pictures likely to be in your hometown newspaper tomorrow. A bus burns in the streets of Wahaka (ph), Mexico. Five months of protests have come to a head with no police presence, residents are stepping up to fill the void. They're reportedly beating accused thieves, torching homes, and one man was even stabbed to death with an ice pick.
In Najaf in Iraq, an Iraqi police officer mans a machine gun in front of the Iman Ali Mosque. Officials closed the mosque today after a tip said suicide bombers had infiltrated this holy city.
In Switzerland, a jury member tests cheese during the organization of Swiss cheese makers competition.
And in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, a Chinese honor guard welcomes the French President Jacques Chirac. Some of today's hot shots, pictures often worth a thousand words. The internet is offering us some unprecedented firsthand accounts from American troops on the front lines in Iraq. But exactly what they say online is closely watched by the Pentagon. Is the military cracking down harder on free speech? Our internet reporter Jacki Schechner has the report. Jacki?
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the multinational force command in Iraq has actually issued guidelines for military bloggers or mill bloggers as they are referred to. These were done in April of 2005, they're posted online you can read them. And in that policy, it says that mill bloggers have to register their blog with their unit. That the commander has to check in on it quarterly and they can't post anything that's classified information obviously.
Well the army says the biggest problem is not with that kind of stuff, it's with photographs and information that mill bloggers may not even think is detrimental. So what they've done is they have a group of guys called the army web risk assessment cell, and they were set up in 2002 to monitor official army Web sites. They were expanded in 2005 to include unofficial sites like blogs, for example.
They say they've monitored some 500 military blogs from July through September. Excuse me, of 2006. And they say that when they find something, they don't actually crack down, they just inform the mill blogger and he usually voluntarily takes the information off of his site. But Matt at blackfive.net, which is one of the top military blogs, says he's seeing more and more guys on the front lines stopping blogging or shutting down their blogs for fear of running afoul of their commanders.
He's getting more and more e-mails of information and seeing less and less blogs. He has no problem with the military monitoring blogs, he just says their policy right now is too restrictive and they are often targeting information that can be found online elsewhere.
We spoke to both the army and SUNCOM who say that there's no policy change coming down from the top, nothing's getting more strict. But the commanders do have the authority on the ground to restrict blogs as they see fit depending on operational tempo -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much Jacki for that. This note to our viewers. Starting Monday all of next week, the week before the elections, we'll be reporting from CNN's election headquarters in New York, with an expanded edition of THE SITUATION ROOM.
We'll be on the air from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. eastern, back for two more hours. Paula Zahn will be joining us from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. eastern. We'll see you then. In the meantime, let's go back to Lou in New York. He's here in Washington -- Lou.
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